High Time
by j o y tothewild
Summary: They had maintained a relatively platonic relationship for almost ten years now, with her calling him a close friend and him looking out for her. But after her decade-long crush on Tsuna came to an end and she came back to Japan, to him, he decided it was high time their relationship progressed. HibariHaru. 1886TYL
1. Chapter 1

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Drama

 **Rated:** T

 **Pairing:** 1886 TYL. Hibari x Haru.

 **Summary:** They had maintained a relatively platonic relationship for almost ten years now, with her calling him a close friend and him looking out for her. But after her decade-long crush on Tsuna came to a sad ending and she came back to Japan, he decided it was high time their relationship progressed.

 **Setting:** Ten Years Later

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. The manga belongs to Amano Akira-sensei.

* * *

 ** _Chapter One_**

* * *

" _Tsuna-san, do you remember? That time you saved Haru from drowning in the river when we were young."_

" _Ah, yeah. Of course, I do."_

" _And after that you've saved my life again and again, but that first time you saved me was the most memorable."_

" _Why?"_

" _Because that's when Haru fell in love with you."_

* * *

The rumbling sound of airplane engines echoed throughout the airport as passengers roamed around; some waiting for their flight and some pouring out from the gateway. Families and friends waited at the terminal to welcome their loved ones who would be coming back from their flight, but the plane was supposed to have landed almost an hour ago and everyone was getting restless. Finally, after waiting a long while, the arrival of the Italy-Japan flight was announced. The crowd shifted with anticipation as the first of the passengers carrying their suitcases came into view.

Among the passengers who came out of the gateway, a young lady dressed in a pastel-yellow blouse and white pants walked hurriedly. She sped past all the happy, reunited families and went straight to baggage claim, all the while muttering under her breath. While she waited for her suitcase, she kept looking at her watch impatiently.

"Ah, I'm late. He's going to be so mad at me. But it's not really my fault since the flight delayed, right?" She mumbled, a worried look on her face. She ruffled her short, dark-brown hair in frustration. Suddenly, a finger tapped on her shoulder and made her jump out of surprise.

"Hahi!"

She spun around and was met with an extreme pompadour hairstyle, its owner bowing to greet her.

"My apologies for startling you, Miura-san. And, welcome back to Japan."

Haru exhaled quite loudly and smiled in relief. "Oh, it's Kusakabe-san. You surprised me. I thought it was someone else and I was going to be _bitten to death_ right then because I was late."

The former vice-president of the Disciplinary Committee of Namimori Junior High gave a small grin. "Today Kyou-san said he was busy so he didn't come here himself."

She sighed and pouted. "Really, I don't know if I should be happy or mad. He didn't come to see an old friend who was away for a year!"

Kusakabe smiled sheepishly, then gestured at the baggage conveyer. "Miura-san, where is your suitcase?"

"It's the yellow one with white polka-dots all over. Can you see it?"

"Ah, yes. It's very…eye-catching." He commented and picked it up easily, as if it weighed nothing even though the size was half its owner herself, and turned to her. "Our car is parked at the entrance. This way, please."

She beamed at him. "Thank you, Kusakabe-san. It's good to see you again."

And with that they headed for the Rolls-Royce that belonged to Kusakabe's master and Haru's _old friend_.

Haru sat at the back seat, looking out the window and the familiar scenery while Kusakabe drove. He stole a look at her through the rear view mirror. She was pretending to look outside but her eyes were actually unfocused and clouded, as if she was deep in thoughts.

Suddenly she turned to look at him and asked, "How is he doing?"

"Kyou-san? He's the same as ever. But, you know, Miura-san, it's been really quiet since you left. In my humble opinion, he was kind of lonely without you."

She laughed at his remark. "That's impossible. That guy, lonely? He loves solitude. He must have been so happy with himself that I wasn't there to bother him all the time. It was so nice of me to give him a break for a year. But now I'm back again and I'm pretty sure he's not going to like it, hehe."

They both laughed at that, all the while thinking of the man in question.

"By the way, Miura-san, did you enjoy your stay in Italy?"

Her bright smile paled a little before she covered it with a huge grin. "Ah, yes, it was wonderful. Haru even brought a few souvenirs for you guys."

"Thank you very much for thinking about me. And, may I ask…Why did you come back?"

Haru took a deep breath and answered, "I came back to finish my studies, of course. I can't fully operate as a doctor if I don't complete the two-year postgraduate training."

"Even _you_ have to do that, Miura-san? You, who graduated the youngest of your class and already acquired a master degree in bioengineering? You, who were the first to receive full marks in the National Medical Practitioners Qualifying Examination _and_ caused an uproar in the medical society with your phenomenal researches?" He allowed a rare frown to cross over his usually stoic features and asked in an almost incredulous tone.

The young lady became a little flustered at his praise. She touched the back of her neck and replied modestly, "Hehe, you're making me blush, Kusakabe-san. But, well, I'm not too thrilled about the training program, either. If not for the fact that I won't be able to make a living as a doctor without the program, I wouldn't want anything to do with it. I guess it's the same for all doctors, successful or not."

Kusakabe shook his head disapprovingly and opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Haru's excited gasp. "Hahi! We're already here in Namimori. But—Nothing's changed. Everything's still the same!"

The corners of his mouth curved up at her excitement. "Of course. After all, you were only gone for a year."

The brunette continued to stare out the window as they drove through the familiar streets of her hometown. Finally, the car pulled up at a medium-sized, two-storey house that was the Miura residence. Even though the house looked perfectly fine, it looked uninhabited. Haru hopped out of the car and gawked at her now empty house while Kusakabe carried her bag.

"Looks like nobody's home," he remarked.

Haru unlocked the gate and gave him a small smile. "No, my parents moved away months ago and left the house to my care. They said I can do whatever I want with it when I come back."

As they entered the front of the house, it was becoming clear now that this place had been deserted for a while. The grass in the front yard was overgrown and there were several weeds. The mail in their mailbox was overflowing. All the doors and windows were shut. The place looked so lonely and empty he wondered how a lady like Haru was going live here alone.

Kusakabe turned to look at her. She was staring at it, too. Several moments later, she turned to him with a small smile and said, "Thank you, Kusakabe-san. You can put the bag there."

He frowned. "But, Miura-san, are you really going to stay here?"

"Yes! Obviously, because this is my home. Where else would I be?" She laughed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But he wasn't convinced. He knew, after spending so many years with her, just the sort of girl she was—always putting up a tough front and hiding all her pain inside.

"Why did they suddenly move? And where did they go?"

"Ah, well, I don't really know the detail but while I was staying in Italy, one day I got their email and it said they were moving. Strangely enough, they didn't tell me where. They said they felt like the house was being watched all the time and it just didn't feel safe. And I know exactly why they felt that. I know they weren't just being paranoid. It's because of my relations with Tsuna-san and the others, that's why," she told him, shrugging, as if it was nothing.

He couldn't believe her. "Isn't that bad, Miura-san? That means this place is not safe! And you're going to live here alone!" he almost shrieked.

And Haru brought up her air-headed façade again. "Ehehe, I think it's fine, really. They left the house a while ago, that means whoever was watching them has pulled out already. I mean, look at the house. They must know nobody's living here anymore."

"But—"

"Besides, if they're targeting someone to get back at Tsuna-san, or to lure him out, they would want to have Kyoko-chan, not Haru. I don't think he'd come all the way from Italy just to rescue me. They should know he's not in Japan, right? And Kyoko-chan's staying with him at the mansion, too. Really, there's nothing to worry about, Kusakabe-san," she explained and gave him another broad smile. He noticed the flickering in her eyes when she mentioned _their_ names, though.

"That's true. But, still…" Kusakabe sighed in exasperation. There was no way he was going to convince her like this. But he sure as hell would not want her to live here. He was sure his master wouldn't, either. Right, speaking of his master, maybe he could change her mind.

"Well, at least let me call Kyou-san first," he informed her, fishing his phone out. Haru nodded and walked to the front door. He looked, and saw that she was unlocking it.

He sighed, again. He should have known how stubborn she was. After all, she was the only girl who had gotten close to his master. If Haru hadn't been stubborn, that wouldn't have been a possible feat.

Haru opened the door to the house she had lived in as long as she could remember. It had been full of decorations, then. Every time she stepped into the house, the smell of her mom's cooking would greet her. Sometimes she would find her dad reading one of his books or grading students' papers. Everywhere she went, in this place, there would always be bookshelves packed with academic books as thick as encyclopedia. Her dad had a little showcase for his Japanese collection in the living room, too. The house she grew up in had been full of life.

But now all of those were gone.

The decorations, books, her dad's collection, her mom's cooking, everything. She assumed they had taken everything that belonged to them and their valuables. With all that said, the house was livable. All the furniture, electronic items and cooking utensils were still there. She flicked the light switch, but none of the lights were turned on. So, their electric bill hadn't been paid. She supposed the same applied to their water bill, too. Well, that was only reasonable, since no one was living here anymore. If she was going to live here, she would have to pay her own bills.

That was going to be a problem.

True, she had a doctor's license. But in Japan, just getting doctor's license wasn't enough to work as a doctor. She'd have to spend two years doing the trainee program she had mentioned to Kusakabe first to do the rounds and get the ropes of the department she was going to be working in. That meant she'd still have no income. Doing part-time jobs while doing the program didn't seem to be a good idea, either. She'd have no time to sleep, since the program, unlike studying, was almost the same as working full time. And she had come back hoping to begin another research she had wanted to do, too. How could someone accomplish so many things academically and still fail so miserably at life?

She sighed. If she was going to be able to live here alone, she'd have to ask her parents for some money to pay the bills, wherever they were at right now. They could transfer it. Only for two years, then she'd get a decent job as a full-fledged doctor.

"Why is this so difficult?" The brunette muttered to herself and leaned on the shoe cabinet. She frowned when her fingers touched the surface and dust came off it. "Oh, great. Maybe I'll get to spend my first day after coming back cleaning this place."

"Miura-san?" Kusakabe peeked in from the open door. Haru smiled at him weakly.

"Yes? You can come in if you want. I mean, if you don't mind the darkness and the dust."

"Um, actually I just got off the phone with Kyou-san. He said you can come and stay at his place if you would like to."

She raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh, really? That's an improvement. He now knows how to help others when they're in a pinch. But, Haru will have to say no. Tell him I said thank you, though."

"Wh-Why? Miura-san, you can't possibly stay in this place! There's no electricity and the water's not running. Until you pay the bills this place cannot be lived in. At least please come live at Kyou-san's place until everything is ready, and then we can decide later where you're going to live."

Haru bit her lip. "Hahi, you're right. But, well…"

"Let me rephrase. Kyou-san ordered me to bring you to his place, so you can't say no, no matter what, Miura-san."

Catching a little nervousness in his voice, she finally let out a hearty laugh. "So, by going to his place, I'm going to be saving you from getting bitten to death?"

He nodded furiously. She laughed again, and said, "All right. I'm doing this for your sake, Kusakabe-san. Until I can contact my parents and pay the bills, I will stay at his place."

He smiled. "Thank you, Miura-san. Well, then, let's get going. Kyou-san's waiting for you at the research institute."

She raised an eyebrow at that statement. "He's waiting for me? But he said he was busy this morning, though?"

"Ah…That…"

"Hehe, it's fine. I knew he'd pull something like this. Let's just go." She grinned and walked back to the car. Kusakabe followed suit and put her luggage back in the trunk. Then, they drove away again.

After a few minutes of silence in the car, she spoke up, "Ah, it's been a while since Haru's been to that place. Since none of my friends and family were here when I arrived it didn't feel like I was really back."

"Yes, from what I heard, everyone is all scattered," he nodded in agreement.

"But, you know, I think when I finally get to see his face, I'll feel like I'm home again," Haru said, smiling to herself.

Seeing her sincere smile, he couldn't help smiling, too.

Yes, it was high time she realized what—or _who_ —exactly was her 'home'.

* * *

 _To be continued_

* * *

 **KimJoysu's Notes:** Hi, my fellow HibariHaru shippers. Um, this is my first KHR fanfic, actually. I just whipped this up on a whim when I was bored and obviously imagining the love story of my favorite couple. And yes, Haru's still not over Tsuna yet. And she's a badass physician, whee. And I tried to make Haru refer to herself with her name as usual but just couldn't do that every time I formed a sentence. So...yeah. I would like to know what you think of it. Let me know if you like it or hate it? Please R &R! If you want more, that is. I'm still not too sure about my posting routine, tbh. But yeah! Hope you liked it anyway! Nice to meet you.


	2. Chapter 2

Genre: Romance/Humor

Rated: T

Pairing: 1886 TYL. Hibari x Haru.

Summary: They had maintained a relatively platonic relationship for almost ten years now, with her calling him a close friend and him looking out for her. But after her decade-long crush on Tsuna came to a sad ending and she came back to Japan, he decided it was high time their relationship progressed.

Setting: Ten Years Later

Disclaimer: I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. The manga belongs to Amano Akira-sensei.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2**_

* * *

" _Is—Is that so. But, why are you telling me this?"_

"… _It's been ten years since then, right?"_

" _Ah, yeah. I almost forgot. Time sure flies, huh?"_

" _That means Haru's been in love with Tsuna-san for ten years."_

" _I…guess?"_

" _What about Tsuna-san? Have you ever loved Haru back, even a little?"_

* * *

It was around noon in the seemingly peaceful town of Namimori. Sunlight beat down mercilessly everywhere except the only forest in town. It was located near the outskirts of Namimori. The thick, dark forest only allowed little light to shine through. In the heart of this out-of-place wilderness was Namimori Shrine, a rundown shrine that had been deserted for years because of its location, hidden from normal citizens.

Haru and Kusakabe—the latter carrying a huge suitcase—had marched through the forest and arrived at this mysterious shrine casually, as if they had been doing this for years. Haru, having walked and chattered all the way there, was getting thirsty.

"Hahi, this place looks the same as ever," she observed, fanning her face. "And, why is it so hot? It's already fall!"

"Yes, I agree. It is really hot and humid today. Well, anyway, please come inside first, Miura-san." Kusakabe gestured at the shrine, even though it had no doors. Haru nodded and simply walked into the place. Her body vanished in an instant. He followed, and both of them disappeared into thin air, as though nobody had been there at all.

Past the illusion, a Japanese-style mansion loomed. They walked past a well-decorated traditional garden full of plum trees and bamboos to the front of the house. Once they had taken off their shoes, Kusakabe spoke up.

"Kyou-san is probably at the back room. Let me put your luggage in your room first and I'll make you some tea."

"Thank you, Kusakabe-san."

Haru thanked him and stepped into the reception room of the institute. She walked past it to the door and slid it open. A big, wooden corridor welcomed her. Several sliding doors lined in a row, facing one another across the hallway, all of them painted in delicate Japanese patterns. There were a few traditional decorations and banners. All of them represented the word 'Discipline'. The place was mostly bare, with no human in sight—which was how its owner probably preferred.

She knew her friend would be at that room at the end of the hallway, where he could enjoy the view of the backyard and relax. That was where she had come often, too, in the past. She smiled to herself, thinking about all those times she had come here with a giant bag of textbooks, and took a deep breath; she liked the smell of this place and it felt really nostalgic.

Standing before the only door at the end of the corridor, she wondered how she was going to greet…whoever was inside. Should she be dramatic or play it cool? Should she scream at him out of joy and give him a hug? No, that would most definitely be a bad idea. Or, maybe she should complain about him not coming to pick her up at the airport himself this morning? Furthermore, what kind of face should she make when she met him? Given that she was going to be staying here a few days or more…

Haru was busy debating with herself about how to make her entrance when, all of a sudden, the door slid open and slammed on its side with a bam, scaring the living daylights out of her.

"HAHI!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and instinctively ducked, her arms flying to cover her head.

A tall man dressed in a black yukata looked down at the cowering girl before him and asked in his usual cold voice.

"…What the heck are you doing?"

She glanced up at him tentatively, still panting hard from shock. Finally realizing how embarrassing she had acted, Haru sprang up straight and laughed sheepishly, her cheeks the color of crimson.

"Hi-Hibari-san, hehe, um…It's—It's been a while! And, and…Hahi! Just now, you scared Haru to death! I thought my heart jumped out of my chest! Geez, don't do that again!" She pouted and crossed her arms.

The sudden change in her mood didn't surprise him. He merely looked her over a few times before turning back into the room and sat down at his seat. Haru puffed out her cheeks and followed him, sliding the door close. She stomped towards the low table he was seated at and sat down opposite of him.

Hibari picked up the book he had been reading before he noticed her presence at the door while Haru continued to glare at him.

"Don't ignore Haru!"

"…" He yawned.

Seeing as the man in front of her showed no sign of guilt or any attention to her, Haru took another deep breath, prepared to shout. However, at that moment she noticed something she liked and her mood lightened up immediately.

"Hahi, Hibari-san, did you cut your hair again? You did, right? Hehe, I'm glad you did, because the last time I saw you, it was starting to get long. And I really like you with the short hair more," she piped up excitedly, her hand reaching out to touch his hair.

Hibari was forced to close his book and use it as a shield from her curious hand. The brunette giggled and took her hand back, her eyes gleaming. She opened her mouth to say something, but the familiar high-pitched voice coming from the back yard beat her to it.

"Hibari. Hibari." A small yellow fluffy bird flew in through the open door and landed on the table.

"Hibird-chan!" Haru exclaimed in joy and picked it up in her palms. "Aw, I've missed you so much!"

"Haru. Haru," the bird chirped and flew around her in circles, letting her know it felt the same. "Hibari. Haru."

She laughed and played with it, completely forgetting the owner of the bird. Just as the brunette was trying to place it on her lap, the door slid open.

"Excuse me. Miura-san, here is your tea," Kusakabe came in politely and set the tray on the table. Haru gave him a smile and thanked him. Before he could exit the room, though, she asked him a question.

"Kusakabe-san, what has Hibari-san been up to? I know he's right in front of me but it'd be just a waste of time to ask him, since he's not going to answer anyway." She said while scrunching up her nose at him. The man himself only gave her a quick look before returning to his book nonchalantly.

"While you were away, Miura-san, Kyou-san has been traveling and gathering information all over the world. And right now he decided to take a short break here for a while before getting back to our research."

"Hahi, that sounds exciting! And Hibari-san didn't bother to mention to Haru at all through the email that you were traveling, or, sending me _any_ email for that matter," she pouted again. Kusakabe smiled at the pair and decided it was time to take his leave and get back to work.

"There was no need to, since I knew you were with the herbivores anyway," Hibari replied, albeit reluctantly.

"But that doesn't mean you could just disappear from Haru's life for a year, you know. And this morning you didn't come to pick me up, either, you meanie. Right, Hibird-chan?"

"Haru. Haru."

"See? Even Hibird-chan is on my side."

This—even if it seemed completely ridiculous to some people, for example, Hibari—for some unknown reason, it made her smile. Seeing as her cold friend was as unmoving as ever, she put her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her palms, then settled herself into staring at his face.

"…"

Even the ever steadfast Cloud Guardian of the Vongola Family still felt uneasy from being pierced by those big, brown, doe-like eyes. To tell the truth, he had never been able to escape that innocent and assertive look of hers. And that, actually, had been the beginning of their relationship in the first place.

That day he noticed her for the first time—over 10 years ago.

"…What is it?" He sighed, putting down his book again.

"Hahi? Nothing. Haru was just bored because Hibari-san was not talking. So I thought I'd just look at you to communicate. Since, you know, sometimes conversations fail the human thoughts," she explained with a bright smile. "Can you feel what I'm thinking right now? Because I know Hibari-san must be thinking that, err, that—"

"That you're being silly? Then you're right," he retorted.

"Hahi! That's rude, Hibari-san!" The brunette scowled at him, but then changed her mind. "But, well, for some reason, I kind of missed your insults, hehe."

He almost frowned. "You haven't changed."

"No, I haven't," she grinned. "You haven't changed, either. That's a good thing. Actually, when Haru was looking at you earlier, I kind of had a little flashback to when we were still in high school, you know? You still have the same look as back then. But…In Haru's case, even though it looks like nothing's different, something has definitely changed."

His grey orbs came to focus on her face the moment he detected a sad vibe from her voice. Haru's mood changes had always been sudden and easy to tell: she'd change from being angry to happy in a blink of an eye. That was precisely why she could hide her sadness so well. For her, sorrow was the only thing she didn't want to show, and so she was good at covering it up. However, having been close to her for a number of years now, Hibari knew the subtle hints in her behavior and never failed to pay attention to it.

And he knew—a little too well for his liking—what the cause of her pain was.

"Did you know, Hibari-san? Tsuna-san and Kyoko-chan finally decided to go out together," she began with a small smile.

The revelation didn't come as a shock to him. He couldn't care less what those herbivores were doing, whether it was going out or killing each other. But, obviously, it was different in her case.

She was in love with that herbivore, after all.

And it really irritated him that he had to care about it, simply because she did.

"Is that so," he responded coolly.

"And guess what, it was Haru who made that happen, hehe."

This time, that statement actually did surprise him, although he didn't show it. He looked at the smile plastered on her face and frowned. There was some pain and loneliness in her eyes but, oddly enough, the smile was sincere and warm. That just confused him.

"…Why?"

Haru's grin widened and she giggled. "I knew you'd ask. Your obvious questions were one of the things Haru missed the most. Well, as a love guru, I'm going to explain it in a way Hibari-san can understand." She nodded to herself and brandished her forefinger in the air, getting serious. "Basically, the one year Haru spent at the Vongola mansion, it made me realize one thing: Tsuna-san, Kyoko-chan and Haru, none of us was happy the way we were. I could clearly see that the two of them were in love with each other, but Kyoko-chan, being such an angel she is, would never be honest with her feelings for Haru's sake. And, honestly…"

Hibari watched as she chuckled mirthlessly and continued, the light in her eye dimming by the second, "Honestly, it was getting unbearable to watch. So Haru decided it was time to just, you know, give up. Since Haru loves the both of them so much, I figured if I had to be sad alone but could see them happy, then I should step out. And, sure enough, now everyone's happy!"

He just couldn't understand how she could be acting so cheerful right now.

He knew, from the look in her eye, that it hurt—a lot. But she was smiling, as always.

"Then, doesn't that just make you the sacrifice?" He asked, a prominent knot between his brows.

Almost immediately, the brunette's mood deflated. She sighed heavily. "Geez, Hibari-san. You sure know how to ruin a person's mood. But, when you put it like that…I guess you're kind of right," she admitted, shrugging. The brunette only allowed a few moments to pass before she put up a wide grin again.

"So this is the reason you came back," he concluded.

"Hmm, that's only one of the reasons, actually. To be honest I already finished my part of the project at headquarters a few months back, so I was just looking for excuses to stay in Italy. And I ran out of them eventually, that's why I thought I should come back," she admitted.

"The project is finished, then?" he inquired, although he didn't seem very interested about the subject.

"Almost. The past few months Haru's been helping Giannini-san and Spanner-san install the formula of the prototype into their machine, but to be honest I didn't get to help much because Irie-san asked me to help him with his new biometrics software for the family. I think it's going well since our software is now based on human cells; nobody but Haru can fake an identity of the cellular level. I mean, nobody that I know of," she explained, shrugging.

"You've been busy," he noted blandly and appeared to not care much. But she didn't mind, she knew he had always been like this and was used to it by now.

"Well, when I left neither of them had quite finished their work yet, but they said it's fine and if they needed my help they would give me a call. Speaking of which, now that I'm back here I can also help upgrade the current security plan for your network, but that will have to wait a little. I was hoping to do another research on the regenerative perks of the Sun Flames when I came back, to tell you the truth."

He eyed her pointedly and shook his head, his voice a warning tone, "Don't experiment with the Flames."

Haru nodded compliantly. "I know, we talked about this. But…Oh well, it's not like I will have the time anyway. I have to finish my postgraduate training program, did you know? What a pain in the neck," she grumbled.

The brunette continued to complain for a while before she ran out of complaints. She took a sip from the tea cup and made a wistful expression.

"…Tsuna-san likes this type of tea," she absent-mindedly muttered. "Haru used to make it along with his bento, too. But now Kyoko-chan is the only one who gets to care for him."

"You brought it upon yourself," he commented in his usual insensitive manner. Not that she had ever minded.

Haru smiled and looked him straight in the eye. "I know."

Hibari stared into those candid brown eyes that had never wavered or lost their light no matter the situation and shook his head slowly, defeated.

"You're one stupid herbivore."

Not only did she not get mad at his offense, but the lady actually laughed. "I guess I really am stupid, huh. Hahi…It's been a while since you called Haru a herbivore. But, the joke's on you, Hibari-san."

He lifted an eyebrow, a little wary of her mischievous tone.

"Since Haru's going to stay in Japan for at least two years to pass the trainee program for doctors, and no one I know is in Namimori as of late, you're going to be seeing a lot of Haru!"

She giggled and stuck out her tongue at him playfully.

"Just like the old times, I'm going to come here and bother you a lot, so you better be prepared! Welcome back to your hellish days with Haru, hehe."

He looked at the excited gleam in her eyes and felt something warm in his chest.

Those 'hellish days' with her—oddly enough, he actually didn't mind them at all.

* * *

 _To be continued_

* * *

 **KimJoysu's Notes:** Uh, hey guys. So I decided to post more, yay. Almost half of the comments are about my other fanfic. You can't see but I'm sweating like mad right now. So the story is not really fast-paced. But it's probably gonna be a lot of flashbacks for sure. Not much to say here, it's 3 in the morning. Uh, please tell me if you like it or hate it. R &R!

PS. Thanks to those who commented in the first chapter! You guys are such dolls.


	3. Chapter 3

**Genre:** Romance/Comedy

 **Rated:** T

 **Pairing:** 1886 TYL. Hibari x Haru.

 **Summary:** They had maintained a relatively platonic relationship for almost ten years now, with her calling him a close friend and him looking out for her. But after her decade-long crush on Tsuna came to a sad ending and she came back to Japan, he decided it was high time their relationship progressed.

 **Setting:** Ten Years Later

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. The manga belongs to Amano Akira-sensei.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three**_

* * *

" _Wh-What? What kind of question is that? Well, um…"_

" _Hehe, just kidding. You don't really have to answer or anything, Tsuna-san."_

" _Oh. Come on, Haru. Aren't you…acting a little strange today?"_

" _You noticed? Well, actually, Tsuna-san, there's something Haru has to tell you."_

" _What is it? Are you going to ask me to marry you again? Because I'm—"_

" _No, Tsuna-san. I'm not going to…Because from now on, Haru's setting you free."_

* * *

Cool fall breezes swept past two lone figures in the middle of the night. Namimori was at its quietest hour past midnight. No lights were on in any of the houses in the streets. Few street lamps lit up the narrow roads and paths that snaked through the town. No cars were seen driving by. During this dead hour, shady activities and people alike roamed the dark, unlit alleyways of the town. It was at this time that all kinds of crimes would take place, and that was why the townspeople knew better than to come out of their houses past 12 am.

However, Namimori was, in fact, safe from most crimes and illegal activities. While the citizens feared the criminals, the outlaws themselves feared the prefects of the town. For years this town had been protected by none other than the unbeatable Hibari Kyoya—the name itself made people shiver in fright.

Nevertheless, there was one woman brave—or rather, stupid—enough not to cower in fear before him. On the contrary, she was now walking beside him, chattering like mad.

"The town's so quiet it's scary, don't you agree? I used to sneak out of the house one night to go get some snacks at the convenience store and—Hahi, Haru wasn't supposed to tell you that. So embarrassing! Please forget that, Hibari-san. Hmm, but, what does Hibari-san think, though? Do you think getting snacks at midnight is un-ladylike? Haru's mom got mad the day after and scolded me about it. She said ladies shouldn't do that, you see…"

On and on and on she went, not caring that the man walking beside her was not answering to any of her questions. They walked alongside each other, Hibari patrolling the town and Haru…just talking. He looked around for any kind of _disturbance_ he needed to _erase_ , but saw none. Sure enough, if anybody with any brains at all was doing something bad and heard this blabbering that wouldn't stop, they would have noticed and scrammed already. He sighed and looked at the unknowing culprit who scared all his prey away.

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Hahi, that's rude, Hibari-san. Obviously, I can't talk when I'm eating and sleeping—"

"No, you sleep talk sometimes. And you also talk when you eat, that's why you never finish your food," he cut her off shortly.

Her doe-like eyes widened and glared at him while she stuttered, "Hahi! Th-That's not true, Hibari-san. Haru never sleep talked. It's—It's not like you'd know anyway, because I never slept in front of you!"

He observed the shades of red on her face and her puffed cheeks, then smirked. "Oh, really? And what about all those times you fell asleep while studying? By the way, you also drool when you sleep."

"Hahi! Stop it, Hibari-san! Stop, stop!" She cried out, her face burning. She pushed him to the side and turned her head to the opposite direction, crossing her arms. "You're terrible, Hibari-san. Haru's going to stop talking to you for ten minutes!"

Hibari shook his head, an amused gleam in his eyes. He then abruptly turned at a corner and went his way. Haru, with her face turned to the side, didn't notice this and continued walking straight. When she finally noticed it was awfully quiet around her, the brunette turned around to see no one.

"Hahi! Hibari-san! Geez, you turned without telling Haru again!" She huffed and started running to the nearest corner they had walked past, and sure enough, the skylark was seen walking down that path. She followed him, running.

All of a sudden, Hibari stopped. Haru, who had been running behind him, couldn't stop herself in time at his unexpected halt, and crashed into his back face-first.

"HAHI!" The impact, while it didn't even make him move an inch, sent her falling to the ground on her butt.

He only slightly turned to look at her, amusement in his eyes. He actually wanted to smile, but held himself and asked coolly, "What are you doing?"

"Owww, my nose. And my butt, owie. They hurt so bad…Don't ask, Hibari-san, this is all your fault, geez!" One minute she was on the ground, rubbing her nose and probably bruised butt, another she was on her feet, glaring at him—her hand still attached on her behind painfully.

He ignored her and pointed at the house he had stopped at. "We're here."

Haru followed his gaze and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Hahi, this is Haru's house. Why did we come here, Hibari-san?"

The skylark gave her an 'are-you-stupid' look and said, "You stupid herbivore."

She pouted. "Hahi. That's your hundredth insult of the day, Hibari-san. Haru just—Hahi! That's right! I wanted to come here to get my stuff! Oh, I almost forgot. Hibari-san's amazing. Such good memory!"

The brunette beamed up at him. Hibari just scoffed. "Remind me again, how did they let you become a doctor?"

"Geez, I know, I know. I'm sorry, alright?" She muttered while fishing out her keys.

With the gate opened, she walked past an unlit path to her house and unlocked the door. She took a peek into the house. It was pitch black inside.

All of a sudden she had just realized her bills hadn't been paid and, unfortunately, she hadn't brought any flashlight with her. Haru gave herself a mental smack in the head and turned her face slowly back to the skylark's direction, giving him a wry smile.

Noticing that, he frowned. "Don't tell me, you forgot your flashlight?"

"Ehehe," she nodded and stuck her tongue out, a little embarrassed.

Hibari sighed. He should have known.

He spun around, ready to head back, "Come get it tomorrow, then."

"Hahi! But, but, Haru needs to use it today, Hibari-san," the brunette stuttered, her hands flying around awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"It's, um, it's—Haru's pajamas! That's right, pajamas. I didn't pack any pajamas from Italy, because I thought I would be staying at my house."

"You can wear the yukata for tonight."

"But, Hibari-san, there is, um, something else Haru needs to get from here, too. Something _very_ important," she mumbled and started to play with her hands nervously, not meeting his eyes. A moment passed and she looked up, determination in those hazelnut-brown eyes. "Alright! I will go get it myself, after all. Please wait here, Hibari-san."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He knew she loved horror movies, so she wouldn't be afraid of ghosts. However, he also knew she was very clumsy, as well. Hibari watched as she balled her hands into fists and punched them upward, saying 'Haru, fight!' to no one in particular, then charged into her house like she was going to war. He expected something to go wrong very soon.

CRASH!

"Hahi!"

And, just as he had predicted, a loud noise came from within the house just seconds after she had gone into it, followed by her cry. The Vongola Cloud Guardian did a mental face-palm at that ominous sound and, after a moment's pause, strode into the house reluctantly.

Indeed, it was very dark inside—to the point that nothing could be seen with normal human eyes. However, Hibari had been trained beyond the point which could be called 'human'. Sharp grey eyes strained in the darkness for a few seconds to get a hold of his surroundings, and soon enough, he could see through the dark as if it were daytime.

He found Haru sitting on the floor in front of the staircase, her hands moving around, as though searching for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Hahi, it's Hibari-san. You scared Haru…Well, just now I crashed into the wall trying to find the stairs. I remembered they should be here somewhere but I can't seem to find them. Do you see them, Hibari-san?"

He couldn't believe how ridiculous she was looking right now, groping for the stairway when it was right behind her. And so, with his middle finger and thumb linked together, he proceeded to flick her forehead.

"Hahi! Something came into contact with Haru's forehead! It must be an evil spirit! Right, Hibari-san?" She exclaimed excitedly, turning her face left and right, trying to talk to him but not knowing where he was.

He considered giving her another flick, but decided to leave it at that. Heaving another huge sigh, he grabbed her collar and lifted her up from the floor. "Stairs are this way. Don't trip."

"Hahi, wait, Hibari-san—"

With that, he started to drag her up the stairway while Haru carefully climbed up the steps backwards, her hand on the railing. (He was holding her collar so she had to dig up her old gymnastics skills.)

Finally they managed to reach the second floor safely. Hibari looked around, trying to find her room. It was not a hard task at all, since he found the most decorated and girliest door right away. Needless to say he dragged her in its direction, pushed open the door and flung her into the room.

"Hahi!" Haru, who had fallen onto her bed, got up and puffed out her cheeks, giving the space beside him a pointed look. "Geez, Hibari-san, Haru has probably told you this a thousand times already, but you need to treat girls more gently!"

The skylark watched as she continued to speak to her bedside table. He was supposed to be annoyed, but he couldn't help being amused at the same time.

His sharp eyes scanned the room. Even though it was almost completely dark, her bedroom screamed girly and cute. The carpet was soft and fuzzy, while the wallpaper—from what he could see—was of a warm color. Stuffed animals and funny costumes took almost half the space of her bedroom, some small and some gigantic. Her bed, too, was full of small stuffed lions. Her desk and bookshelves, packed with medical textbooks, were in the far corner of the room. In the opposite corner, a chest of drawers and a wardrobe plastered with stickers stood side by side.

"So, where's the thing you came to get?"

"Wait, Hibari-san. I think I have some scented candles on the bedside table. Can you find it? The lighter is in its drawer." She held up her hand and asked for his help. It seemed ironically stupid that she would ask where the bedside table was since she had been talking to it all this time.

He decided to ignore that fact and moved towards the furniture she had mentioned instead. Indeed, he found two cream-colored scented candles placed near the bedpost lamp and a lighter in the drawer. Without further ado, he lit the candles, and the surroundings became more visible for the brunette.

"Hahi, I can see at last!" She exclaimed in delight, distributing the twin candles to each of them, and got off the bed. "And, it smells nice, too. Haru loves vanilla scent!"

"Hurry up and get what you want already," he rushed, getting a little impatient.

"Yes, yes, al—Hahi!"

She had been trying to walk past a big object poking out of under her bed, but ended up kicking it accidentally. Once again, she crouched down and groaned, holding her foot.

"Ow, it hurts. What is this?" She mumbled and sat down on the floor, intent on finding out what the offensive thing was. Apparently it looked like some kind of a wooden chest. She put her candle beside herself and began examining the box.

Seeing as she was getting sidetracked by something else, he knew they would be here a while if he waited for her to finish digging up her old stuff and reliving the nostalgia. And that would probably take forever.

To be honest, he would have gotten irritated and left by now if not for the nice aroma of vanilla from the candles. He wasn't quite sure why, but he liked the smell and it actually calmed him down a bit.

"Where is it?" He demanded.

"Hmm? Where is what?" She responded absent-mindedly, busy with putting the code on the padlock of the chest.

"The thing you came here for."

"Oh…the two bottom drawers." The reply came slowly, as Haru was distracted. But that was good enough for him.

The skylark strode over to the chest of drawers and squatted down, his hand pulling out the lowest one first. At the same time, Haru, who had unlocked the chest and discovered its contents, cried out in joy.

"Hahi! It's Haru's horror stuff collection! Oh, boy, I've been missing all of these! Do you remember, Hibari-san? All the occult-related and goth things Haru bought?" She gushed out excitedly, holding up a headless doll and a small jar of eyeballs in her hands. When no response came, she looked over to see a very still Hibari.

"Hibari-san? What are you—"

The Vongola Guardian suddenly turned to her, brandishing something awfully similar to her bras in his hand. A ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips as he drawled, "So, this is what you desperately needed and came all the way here for?"

One moment passed in shocked silence. Then, all hell broke loose.

Haru, finally registering what was going on, screamed at the top of her lungs and—forgetting her precious collection completely—lunged at him and snatched away her colorful underwear. She banged the drawer shut and sat with her back against it, as if guarding it from him.

"Hi-ba-ri-san!" She ground out his name, her entire face the deepest shade of crimson. Even in this dark, he could still see her flustered expression very clearly, and that increased his amusement even more.

"Heh," he scoffed.

"Hahi! This is not funny, Hibari-san! How can you even laugh in this situation? Hibari-san's the worst! You're horrible! Stupid! Stupid! Idiot!" Haru screeched, so embarrassed that she wanted to cry.

Her childish underwear was seen! And touched! She had never intended for any male to see them, not even her beloved Tsuna-san. These underwear were too colorful and full of stupid patterns like toffee, candy and cute animals. Some were even too lacy. She had decided nobody would see these stupid bras and that if she ever married someone she would discard all of them. That's right, she had resolved herself to take this abominable secret to her grave! But, out of all the people who could have found out…It had to be her best guy friend.

Being the overly optimistic—to the point of being air-headed—girl she was, she had never had any thoughts along the lines of 'I want to die now' before.

However, Haru considered shooting herself in the head at that moment.

Hibari watched in mild amusement as she buried her face in her palms—along with the squeezed bras—and shook her head violently. Now that was a stupid move, he would say. She was giving him full view of the thing she wanted to hide. But she was flustered, and he knew better than to provoke her anymore. After all, the poor girl couldn't be any redder than this.

He reached out and patted her head slightly, then got up on his feet. "Do you have everything you wanted?"

She was secretly delighted at the considerate change of subject, but still refused to show her face. As a result, her reply came in a muffled voice, "Yes. I came to get my…stuff because I didn't bring any spares back from Italy. And pajamas. Also, some toiletries."

She remembered how difficult it was to ask Hibari if she could tag along with him on today's night patrol. She had told him she needed some _stuff_ , but couldn't bring herself to tell him what exactly it was. She had needed her underwear. Obviously, since she had thought she would be staying at her place where all her things would be, she had given up that space for more souvenirs and shoes. She hadn't anticipated that she would be staying somewhere else, and a guy's place, to boot.

But, in the end, it was her fault for getting distracted with her collection and outright revealing to him the location of her deepest and darkest secret without thinking.

"Is that all?" She heard him ask in his usual deep voice.

She nodded. The brunette took a little peek through her arms and saw that her friend was gazing at her bookshelf. She used that opportunity to stand up and get to work. Pulling out a girlish backpack from the top drawer, she began filling her underwear and pajamas into it.

"What about your textbooks?"

The question surprised her a little; she didn't think it was relevant. "What about them?"

"Aren't you going to bring them with you?" he pressed on.

"No, I'm staying at your place for only until I can contact my parents and get money to pay the bills. After that, I will move back here, so there's no need to bring them there," she answered casually and grabbed her candle, then walked past him to the bathroom door.

He frowned. "You seem to be misunderstanding something."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him, surprise in her eyes. "Hahi? What do you mean, Hibari-san?"

"You are going to stay at the institute until you are off the enemy's radar, and that is final."

And thus marked the first day the two started living together—and the many days to come.

* * *

 _To be continued_

* * *

 **KimJoysu's Notes:** Oh god, it's been a while, huh? My bad, my bad. I've been feeling under the weather lately. Hope this lifted your spirits, cause it did mine. Let me know if you think mt characters are OOC or anything because I don't intend for them to turn out as such. And I'm still not sure about my updating routine yet. Sigh. Life is hard out there for lazyass people, you know? And... Like it? Hate it? Please R&R!

P.S. Yes, I made Haru have a weird obsession with creepy stuff. I just think it really suits her. You know, she has this girly cutesy side and then boom! she likes goth, occult-related stuff. That's just how I think Haru's personality would be. She's a genuinely interesting and unpredictable girl in my book. And funny as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Genre:** Romance/Comedy

 **Rated:** T

 **Pairing:** 1886 TYL. Hibari x Haru.

 **Summary:** They had maintained a relatively platonic relationship for almost ten years now, with her calling him a close friend and him looking out for her. But after her decade-long crush on Tsuna came to a sad ending and she came back to Japan, he decided it was high time their relationship progressed.

 **Setting:** Ten Years Later

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. The manga belongs to Amano Akira-sensei.

* * *

 ** _Chapter Four_**

* * *

 _"What do you mean, Haru? Setting me free? What's this all about?"_

 _"Tsuna-san, you're in love with Kyoko-chan, aren't you?"_

 _"Eh—! Wha-What! I—I…"_

 _"Hehe, no need to panic, Tsuna-san. Haru knows you're still in love with her. You've always been…and probably always will."_

 _"How—How did you know, Haru? And how long have you known?"_

 _"It's easy, Tsuna-san. Haru heard it from your mouth, when we were in junior high."_

 _"Eh? That long ago? B-But, I'm positive I never told you!"_

 _"Of course not, you never did. Haru just accidentally overheard it—Tsuna-san's confession."_

* * *

The walk back from the Miura residence had been a rather quiet one, with Haru being unusually tight-lipped and Hibari usually not bothering to even say anything. It was to be expected, though, after their little fight earlier. She had protested against his one-sided decision, saying she didn't want to trouble him too much. And of course, he didn't listen and proceeded to force her to pack her textbooks. In retaliation, she called him a 'tyrannical jerk' and pushed him, but the one who got bounced back from the reaction force and fell on the ground was herself. By then Hibari had decided that Haru, being herself—her stupidly clumsy and idiotic (as deemed by him) self—would not be able to successfully transport all those nerdy gigantic medical textbooks to the destination, and that he would have Kusakabe come fetch it by tomorrow, problem solved. With that, the skylark informed her of his new plan, and before she could even utter a word of disagreement or lift herself from the floor, he grabbed hold of her collar and dragged her out of the house, candle and all. Haru had protested all the way down the stairs, shouting and calling him names, but to no avail.

As a result, she had decided to pout and sulk all the way back to the institute as a way of trying out the so-called 'silent treatment'.

It didn't work.

Of course, it didn't. The terms 'Miura Haru' and 'silence' were antonyms. She could only stay silent until they reached the shrine, then she couldn't hold it anymore. She asked him to reconsider, for the thousandth time. His reply had been plain and simple:

"No."

She had pressed on, because she wasn't the type of pathetic wimp to back off so easily after only being blatantly rejected a few times (case in point: Tsuna-san) and she had another really important reason why she didn't want to live at his place. However, this time, Hibari's answer was final.

"If you want your choice in underwear to remain a secret, then shut up and stop bothering me."

She _was_ that type of pathetic wimp, after all.

She wasn't strong enough. Just…couldn't…resist. The threat was too great. (*sobs*)

That whole ordeal led to the current situation, where Haru was pacing around in her decidedly-pretty-much-long-term-or-even-permanent-if-that-guy-wants-cause-he's-such-a-dictator room, mumbling dark curses she remembered from her occult-stuff-addicted days. When that wasn't satisfying enough, she picked up her sewing kit from her backpack, sat down and started making a voodoo doll. Obviously, the name that was going to be sewed onto the doll was none other than her beloooooooved best guy friend's, who supposedly threatened her into accepting his whimsical proposal.

Fair enough…This predicament didn't deserve such an over-the-top reaction from her, since she had practically been going in and out of this place so many times that it could be considered her second home already, and over the course of these years, she had actually slept over quite a few times—each time a period of only overnight, since the next day she would have to go straight to take the exams or show up to make excuses like "I stayed over at Kyoko-chan's" to her parents. Still, to actually move out of her house and settle in here…That was a completely different matter.

She had told him that she didn't want to trouble or rely on him too much. That was only half the truth. The hidden reason she didn't dare tell him was, well, simply put, too hard to explain. If she had persisted, it would've been something like this:

"Hibari-san, this concept might be a little difficult for a blockhead like you to comprehend, but a pure maiden like Haru, who has been proudly raised and taught by her strict, academic parents about the merits of a fine woman, must absolutely not live in a house full of men. It is scandalous, disgraceful, and a huge blow to a woman's honor. Most importantly, no one's ever going to marry me if he hears that I've been living in such a place! I don't want that. Without Tsuna-san this is already hard enough; I have to start finding a new fish from scratch! What if I can't find a boyfriend because everyone thinks I'm the kind of lewd woman who lives with men! Hahi! And what if all my girlfriends start to think the same too? *sobs* Nooo, I really don't want that. I've just suffered a heart break and come back and now my rose-colored love life and springtime of youth are already coming to an end. Nooo, it's too short, I can't. Hahi… does this also mean my dream of marrying someone who will come to destroy my world in a romantic manner and build it up anew with his tempest-like personality and the charisma of Count Dracula will not be fulfilled? Ahhhh…*wails*"

And the rest that was in her head was just redundant. The rant went on and on.

On and on.

Now the voodoo doll was just about finished, but Haru was still mumbling the earlier monologue.

"Um, excuse me, Miura-san. Miura-san? Can you hear me?" Before she knew it, Kusakabe was knocking on her door…for however long he had been doing so.

"Hahi! S-Sorry, Kusakabe-san, Haru was just lost in thoughts (about a certain boss of yours, actually). Please, come in," she answered sheepishly, quickly tucking the voodoo doll back inside her backpack.

He slid the door open and stepped in with a cart full of her books. Big, calloused hands picked a few of them up and brandished them to her.

"Are these the books that you'll be needing, Miura-san?"

She gave him a smile, despite her mood. He was just so nice and kind, a refreshing contrast to his precious Kyou-san. "Yes, thank you, Kusakabe-san."

"I actually brought all the medical textbooks I could find in the house. There were so many books in your house, Miura-san, I was surprised. One cart wasn't enough at all. Heck, even five carts wouldn't do the job."

"Hehe, I feel flattered when you say it like that. We're an academic family, after all." Haru grinned and scratched the back of her head shyly as she got up and approached the cart. Delicate, soft hands caressed the covers of the textbooks lovingly, as if they were her treasure.

"Would you like me to go back to fetch all of the remaining books tomorrow?" The man couldn't help feeling a kind of empathy when he saw the fondness in her brown eyes. He, too, adored her like a little sister.

"Ah, please don't bother. I still refuse to live here. I just need to find a proper way to convey it to him, that's all. Besides, you shouldn't have to go to the trouble of moving my stuff for me just because Hibari-san decided, all by himself, and without my consent, that he would have Haru stay here."

Noting her indignant tone, he attempted to reason with the girl. "But, Miura-san, I agree with Kyou-san's decision. I think it's the only way for you to be able to live in Japan safely."

Haru's eyebrows rose up and went to the ceiling, before they were knitted together as tight as a dead knot. She stuck her lower lip out like a kid, doe-like eyes glared at him as if blaming him. "So you're on his side, huh?"

Kusakabe chuckled weakly, "Ahahaha...ha...It's not like that, Miura-san. I just think that Kyou-san has a legitimate reason for you to live here. You should also realize that. On top of that, you've slept over so many times, and not once have you minded. Why are you against it so much this time?"

Note: Haru's full explanation is just up above. Can't you scroll up and read, Kusakabe?

"Because, Kusakabe-san, I'm the only female here! It's scandalous. What if my parents know? They will kill me, I tell you. And no one will ever marry me." The last sentence was the most important.

"That won't be a problem, Miura-san. When we came back to your house, no one in the neighborhood saw us. I'm positive, because the street was empty. So no one knows yet that you're back. And if you live here in the institute, of course no normal people can see through the illusion. And when you commute, it will appear as if you live deep in the mountains. Clearly nobody will talk, and it is the best option," he explained.

"But what about the man who will marry me? If he knows..." She looked extremely worried over the matter. Once again, Kusakabe was reminded that Japan valued this girl as a national asset-the gem of the academic society-and that this country was probably doomed.

"Miura-san...When you were fourteen, during the battle with the Millefiore Family, you and Sasagawa-san had to live in the base with the boys, too, correct? It was for your safety. This situation is the same. It's for your own safety."

"Hahi! You're right! But...You know, Kusakabe-san, back then Haru didn't mind because I thought I would be marrying Tsuna-san anyway and that was like a sort of practice to become the tenth's wife in the future. And now...*sighs* It's like I'm going to become Hibari-san's bride and I'm practicing housewife lessons for him or something. So embarrassing," Haru grumbled, hands cupping her cheeks like it really was a topic she was uncomfortable with.

At that remark, the man gave a wide, knowing grin, but refused to say anything.

The brunette sighed in defeat. "All right. I see your point, Kusakabe-san. I was just being stubborn and unreasonable. I'm sorry. I'll go apologize to Hibari-san right now."

"Then shall I put these books onto the shelves? How do you want them to be arranged, Miura-san?" he gestured at the looming bookshelves at the far end of the room, completely forgetting the fact that Hibari was in his private quarters right now, and that Haru was going to go there.

"Ah, if you could put those in the same categories together, I'd appreciate it. Thank you so much, Kusakabe-san!" she beamed at him before exiting the room.

"You're very welcome," he replied faintly as the door slid shut. Kusakabe sat down and stared at the pile of books, not moving an inch for a long time.

Mental note: _I actually can't read a word of the complex English medical term titles, Miura-san. Is-Is it okay if I put books that have titles with similar-looking words together? Uh, is she really gone?_

"What is this? (Japanese accent) Ro...Robu? Lobo...tomy? Lobotomy? What are these scary pictures...M-Miura-san...Please come back...*cries eternally*"

Meanwhile, Haru nervously headed towards Hibari's bedroom, carefully noting the hallways and rooms on her way to the somewhat unfamiliar place. His private quarters were separated from all the guest rooms and offices, where the former Disciplinary Committee members occasionally came back from traveling and met up for research purposes, due to his hatred of crowding and love of solitude. Whenever Haru came around to conveniently use this mansion to study, she was allowed to stay in one of the guest rooms, which was almost never used considering the skylark's level of hospitality. To be honest, she never intended to stay over at all, but in most cases, though, she often fell asleep right on the spot with her head resting on the book-and her drool wetting the pages-and Kusakabe was the one who had to carry her to bed because she wouldn't wake up no matter what he tried. And over the course of nearly a decade, the first guest room on the left wing of the mansion had gradually become 'Haru's room'.

While the guest rooms and the living quarters for the returning members were on the left wing of the institute, Hibari's living space took up all of the right wing. It was known as the _forbidden sanctuary_ among the members, where trespassing meant certain death. Miura Haru, on the other hand, might be the only exception. A certain myth among the Pompadour lovers was that she had set foot in the sanctuary and had come back alive, but the actual truth remained a mystery.

Slim legs strode uncertainly across the main hall towards her destination. Haru was starting to become unsure of her choice of time. It was, in fact, pretty late. She remembered they had come back from patrolling the town-him the one patrolling and her just tagging along but ending up having a one-sided argument and got mad about it-at around one in the morning. Now that she actually thought about it, it was beginning to make more and more sense that he would be fast asleep right now, and that disturbing him during his sleep meant getting bitten to death with no mercy, she was at least sure of that much; he loved his naps, after all. The brunette heaved a huge sigh while mentally smacking her head.

"This is a wasted trip. *sighs* I should just retreat for now and apologize tomorrow..."

But here was the thing.

It had been quite a walk from the far end of the left wing all the way to the right wing, and she just didn't feel like going back empty-handed now.

Well, she was just going to make sure he really was asleep. If he was, then she would be on her way back.

To top it all off, she was already here. The hallway of the right wing.

And at the end of this hallway, if her memory of one time trespassing and almost getting bitten to death served her right, the sliding doors with delicate drawings of a beast devouring its prey, with an enormous quote that read 'DISCIPLINE', must be the entrance to his bedroom.

She remembered this place only vaguely. Her memory of the time she came here was also rather cloudy. The reason was because the first, and the only, time she had been in here, she had been _a little_ inebriated. But that was only Haru's version of the situation. If Kusakabe had to describe it, he would say, well, she was _a little_...frickin' drunk an' smashed out of her fucking mind. At that time, the official second-in-hand of the Vongola Cloud Guardian had lost sight of the drunken girl for only a moment, and she had disappeared. He only found out later that she had barged into his boss' private quarters when she had come back in one piece, albeit unconscious, and held by the collar by a very pissed off Kyou-san. Also, the one getting bitten to a state of half-death later was him, in her place.

In summary, Haru could hardly remember this place, and had no idea what happened here the last time she came.

Still, the feeling made her feel a little off. After all these years of coming to the institute, there was still a place unfamiliar to her in this familiar mansion. That place was his room. His private life.

It seemed that no matter how much she had invaded his personal space, he was still him. The mysterious, restraint-hating, isolation-loving, him.

The brunette came to a halt in front of the doors. She knocked three times and tentatively called out, "Hibari-san?"

There was no response, as she had expected. But to be sure, she knocked again, anyway.

"Hibari-san, are you sleeping?"

When it was becoming clear that he probably was asleep, she decided to give it a rest. However, when she was about to turn around, she was met with a cold sensation of a metal on her right cheek.

It was a tonfa. And it was right next to her face.

"Did you have a death wish, coming here?" A terrifyingly familiar voice coldly asked behind her. Immediately, Haru felt a shiver down her spine, followed by her trademark "Hahi!". Without turning, she knew what kind of scary face he was making. He should be in his usual pre-fight stance, with one tonfa in one hand casually resting by his side, while the other extended along the length of his other arm with the elbow bent, ready to attack. His low and menacing tone suggested that he was mad, and that it probably hadn't been a good idea to come here, after all.

"U-Um, Hibari-san," she shakily rasped out as she struggled to turn to see him, her right cheek brushing by his tonfa as she did. Haru did her best to look pitiful, and even if she was dying to say something, she waited. All she could do right now was stare into those unreadable, cold, sharp, grey eyes guiltily.

"...No answer. So that means you want to be bitten to death," he continued icily, eyes boring into her doe-like ones, intimidating and giving her the fright she deserved. But to his dismay, those big, warm, brown eyes refused to yield and kept looking into his. Worse, their owner was sporting a puppy-like expression and was trying her best to act like a small animal. And the moment he made the mistake of comparing her expression to that of his box weapon's, Roll's, he knew he wasn't going to be biting anyone to death tonight.

On the other end, Haru was feeling a little uneasy. She really didn't like the situation she was in. It was like she was a small animal, staring into the predator's eyes, begging for mercy, and the fate of her whole life was to be decided in these few moments of life and death. She couldn't read what Hibari was thinking at all, it was frustrating-and scary. While it was true that normally she wasn't afraid of her old friend because she knew him well, but this time was different-she had crossed his boundaries, and he was understandably angry.

This was turning out to be more of a disaster by the second. She had come to apologize for her earlier mistake, not caring whether he had been upset about it or not, but if he hadn't then, he was very much visibly upset now. And her mistakes had doubled.

Out of frustration, she shifted her gaze without meaning to, and quickly realized another alarming fact.

"Hahi! H-H-Hibari-san! You're-You're naked!" she screamed, hands shooting up to cover her eyes, the color of her face quickly recovering from the earlier pale white into shades of crimson.

Hibari put down his tonfa, no longer in the mood to fight. He was also far from 'naked', as she had so wrongly described. He just had been taking off his usual attire-a black suit and a purple shirt, along with a black tie-after patrolling the town, about to take a shower, and although right now his top was exposed due to the unbuttoned shirt, he was still wearing pants. It was her fault for coming in here when he was preparing for bed. As soon as he heard the footsteps, he was constantly on guard for enemies, thus grabbing his tonfa and appearing from behind the target-only to find a stupid female herbivore. Imagine how ticked off he must have been.

But now his mood was starting to lighten up considerably.

The little pervert was sneakily peeking at his abdomen between the gaps in her fingers. And she thought he wouldn't notice? What nerve.

"You pervert," he said softly, the corners of his mouth curving into a smirk.

She flinched, her face becoming even redder, if that was possible. "H-Hahi! I don't know what you're talking about! A-Anyway, Haru came here to apologize for yelling at you and calling you a tyrannical jerk just now, even though you kind of are, and I'm sorry I barged in here without your permission. I know you really hate it when I invade your space, but I felt like I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I didn't apologize to you. So, for trespassing and yelling at you, Haru will make it up to you somehow. And also, thank you so much for letting Haru stay here, I really appreciate your kindness. And...That's it. G-Good night!" she rushed out as much as she could think of, and, with her hands futilely covering her eyes, quickly sprinted past him.

The skylark easily let her pass, despite the fact that she had trespassed into his private life. But if he thought about it, she had always been bulldozing her way into his life, and this time, it was merely a matter of degree. And by letting her go, he had just allowed her to invade his personal space further, which made him scowl.

"And put on some clothes!" the brunette had the nerve to turn back to lecture him, and as if she knew that had been another wrong move, she was already gone when he spun around to find her.

It would take exactly two seconds for him to go after her and bite her to death. But for now, he wasn't feeling like it, so he would let her go. For now.

Strangely enough, he had used the excuse "will let go for now because I'm not feeling like it" on this particular herbivore for almost ten years, and he had not gotten around to actually biting her to death yet, even though she _so_ deserved it for a number of times.

Years ago, his past self would have been very confused as to why, and right now he would be lying if he said he wasn't, but at least he had come to accept it.

Miura Haru was an exception to his rules.

Or more like, he made an exception of his rules, _for her_.

* * *

 _To be continued_

* * *

 **KimJoysu's Notes:** Hey guys. I'm re-watching KHR, that's why I got the inspiration to write the fic. I put the KHR manga on hold a few years ago, and only finished the Shimon arc. I'll probably get back to reading it if I have time. Getting back to the story, as I said, it's slow-paced. I don't even know if this chapter was fun or not, but I enjoyed writing it. The reason I don't have a fixed updating routine is because I didn't deliberately plot this story, I just whipped it up on a whim, which goes for my other fanfic as well. And that's why I experience a lot of writer's blocks. Which is why, I'm sorry to say, I can't tell you my updating routine-or if it's a routine at all. My routine is, if it's updated, then yeah, it is. Lol.

So did you like it? Hate it? Please R&R!

 **P.S.** Seriously though, if you find any of the characters acting OOC, you gotta review and tell me, since this is the aspect I stress the most. I think that the point of me writing this fic in the first place is because I found the other fics OOC, and they weren't to my liking, that's why I started my own (on a whim, with no plan, sigh).

Anyway, I'll see you on my next update. Thanks!


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